The Favourite
2018 film by Yorgos Lanthimos · Released August 30, 2018
The Favourite is a 2018 satirical absurdist film directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, and written by Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara. A co-production between Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States, it stars Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, and Rachel Weisz. Set in early 18th-century Great Britain, the period film examines the relationship between cousins Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough, and Abigail Hill, who will become Baroness Masham as the action progresses, as they vie to be court favourite of Anne, Queen of Great Britain. Principal photography took place at Hatfield House in Hertfordshire and at Hampton Court Palace, lasting from March to May 2017.
Cast ages when filming began (March 2017)
- Olivia Colman, as Anne: 43
- Rachel Weisz, as Sarah Churchill: 46–47
- Nicholas Hoult, as Robert Harley: 27
- Joe Alwyn, as Samuel Masham: 26
- Mark Gatiss, as John Churchill: 50